Back at it.
#NatalieCochran murder trial
Day 7 of witness testimony will continue at 9 am with the defense calling its expert medical witnesses. Natalie Cochran has also indicted to the judge that she will testify but she’ll likely be the last witness the defense calls.
Here's my prediction for the remainder of the
#NatalieCochran trialMonday - Defense will call it's final three witnesses - a local physician who treated the Cochran's and two expert medical witnesses.- Dr. Zachary Halsey with Access Health in Beckley...
- Dr. Priya Banerjee a forensic pathologists from Rhode Island (she's the one who has been on the phone listening to the prosecution's medical experts)- Dr. Ljubisa Jovan Dragovich, the chief medical examiner/chief forensic pathologist for Oakland County, Mich….
...Tuesday - Defense will call Natalie Cochran (I'm still skeptical of this). Then they'll go into closing arguments and hand the case off to the jury….
...Wednesday - Jury will continue to deliberate and potentially have a verdict. I don't anticipate them deliberating for long but that's just my guess.
In the courtroom today we have Michael's mother and stepfather, Donna and Eddie Bolt, as well as Natalie's mother and daughter, Daphne Jessup and Nicole Cochran.
Continuing the theme of technical difficulties - they’re currently trying to connect with Dr. Ljubisa Jovan Dragovich, the chief medical examiner/chief forensic pathologist for Oakland County, Mich. We can see and hear him but he can’t hear us.
The system they’ve working out for virtual witnesses is that they appear via video call but they mute the audio for the video call and then call the witness on the phone and use the phone for audio. I’m no technical wiz but that seems unnecessarily complicated.
Everything’s worked out now - Dr. Ljubisa Jovan Dragovich, the chief medical examiner/chief forensic pathologist for Oakland County, Mich. now testifying.
Dragovich said he’s board certified in three pathology fields - Anatomical, neurological and forensic
Dragovich said he’s been in this line of work for nearly 40 years and performed thousands of autopsies. He said he also performed 6 autopsies this past weekend.
NatalieCochran ’s defense attorney Stanley Seldon doing the questioning for Dragovich. Stanley is preparing to question Dragovich about the report he prepared in regard to this case...
...The defense never exhumed Michael’s body so I’m assuming the report is passed on Michael’s previous medical and autopsy records
Dragovich said the case he reviewed was about a 38-year-old man who was taking numerous supplements from Mexico that resulted in him having seizures that then caused him to fall on Feb. 6, 2019 and hit his headStanley – where did you get this info about the incident from…
...Dragovich – it was attached to the medical records and was a recount of the situation as told by the wife –
Dragovich talking about Michael having encephalopathy – brain disease or disorder – which is caused by many factors including lack of glucose or lack of oxygen.
Stanley – can a person have brain damage without external signs showing thisDragovich – yesI’m assuming they’re referring to Michael’s fall in the kitchen on Feb. 6, 2019 – some witnesses’ said Michael hit his head, others said he did just fell over….
...One witness said Michael took a chunk out of the kitchen counter when he fell but no one saw any sign Michael had a visible head injuries – bruises, bumps or bleeding – that day.
They’re now talking about the definitions for cause of death and manner of death.Cause of death – reason a person died based on anatomical evidence – evidence on the body and within the body…
...Manner of death – how death came upon a person, physical circumstances combined the findings on and in the body
They’re discussion the autopsy – specifically the findings of the brainState medical examiner’s autopsy report (done seven months after Michael’s death) – said the body was decomposing but the brain looked "fine”…
..Stanley said the report also stated that Michael’s brain was “swollen”
Stanley now arguing that because Michael’s autopsy was done 7 months after death it would be “pretty much impossibles” to find a potential tumor on the pancreases, an infection in the blood or perform a toxicology report….
...I think Stanley is trying to allude to Michael’s having a tumor on the pancreases which caused Michael low blood sugar around the time of his death
Dr. Diane Krieger, an endocrinologist based in Miami, Fla., testified for the prosecution and said she ruled out Michael having a tumor on the pancreas because they’re rare, easily treatable and show symptoms over an extended period of time.
Going back to the texts from
#NatalieCochran on the days prior to Michael dearthFeb. 7 2019, 5:25 a.m. Natalie texts Jennifer Davis, “... he’s just completely unresponsive. (Blood glucose) this am 44 he’s septic they think that’s maybe why??” then adds that the doctors…
...said Michael’s “brain grey matter looks off” and later states “Pancreas acting crazy.”
Stanley – can you comment on Dr. Uribe saying Michael’s death was a homicide. Was he correct?Dragovich – I think it was more undetermined than a homicide.Dragovich does not think Uribe’s finding were based on factual anatomical findings – more opinion based…
Dragovich has very long explanations, but Stanley keeps cutting Dragovich off as soon as he gets make the point he needs him to
Dragovich’s view of Stanley while he’s testifying. Reminds me of FaceTime calls with my grandmother. I never see her face, just the side of her head.
Stanley is asking Dragovich about the prosecution’s medical experts and discrediting their reports.Dragovich said Krieger is not a pathologist and “not in the businesses of examining dead bodies.”When Krieger testified she said as much and while she was asked…
...to give a cause of death – she said that was not her area. For Uribe, Dragovich is basically saying that Uribe tried to come up with an answer that would fit the situation but input too much of his own opinion.
Stanley is done questioning Dragovich after just over 1 hour. Now we're taking a break.
@Jozy_Elizabeth
